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1 — On Our Block 


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• 7 /JVI t;. V .-• ' >. . > ^ 

. •'viV'.-.i '^.rl: 


On Our Block 


A series of little Visits v7ifl\ tKe bo>>s and girls 
4iat are anxious to do rigkt, and quick 
to learn from watcKing {Keir 
pla^^mates and tKeir 
neighbors 

b>) 

Uthai Vincent Wilcox 



Printed in U. S. A. 
iq22 

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSN. 
Mountain View, California 
Brookfield, 111. Portland, Ore. Cristobal, C. Z. 
Kansas City, Mo. St. Paul, Minn. 


Copyright by 

Pacific Press Publishing Assn. 
Mountain View, California 
1922 


g)r,I.A654686 


FEB 17 1922 


'Vi. 6 I 


This Is for You, Too 

INTRODUCTION 

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and 
stature, and in favor with God and man/’ 
Luke 2 : 52. 

Jesus was once a little child. And He 
grew. That is what every child should 
do. On the train one day, I saw a man 
about thirty-five years old who was only 
a little taller than the car seats. It was 
too bad. Something must have happened 
to him when he was a boy, that he never 
grew any taller. 

Jesus grew in stature — His body grew. 

But that was not all. Jesus grew in 
wisdom. His mind grew. He had His 
eyes and ears open to learn all He could 
about everything in nature and in human 
life. And He learned how to think the 
right kind of thoughts. He grew in 
wisdom. 

Yes, Jesus’ body grew; but best of all, 
His heart grew. He learned more and 
more the proper way to act. He was 
obedient to His parents and to God. He 
was industrious. He was strong, and 
liked to do things; but He was always 


( 3 ) 


4 


On Our Block 


unselfish and kind. Everybody liked the 
boy Jesus, because of these things. And 
people will like you if you show the same 
fine disposition that Jesus did. 

These stories, by a former editor of 
“Our Little Friend,” will help you to un- 
derstand the right way to live, so that 
you too may increase in favor with God 
and man. 

M. E. Kern, 

General Secretary of the 
Missionary Volunteer Department, 
Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 


This Is for You Too (Introduction) . 3 

Fred and Allan Didn’t Like to Play 

with Her 9 

“Simple Simon!” 13 

Herbert’s Mouth and Soapsuds . . .17 

What Mary Lea Did When Mother 

Had Visitors 21 

He Forgot to Take It Home .... 25 
How Much Did Elsa Love Her 

Mother? 31 

Bruce Had a Strange, Strange Dream 35 
The Lists That Clara and Gladys 

Made Out 41 

Just Suppose 47 

When the Songs Made It Easy . . .51 

The Disease That Was “Catching” 

and Dangerous 57 

Just for Fun 61 

“E,” “G,” “P,” “F,” Meaning Report 

Card Marks 69 

And the Ball Sailed Right Through 

the Window 73 

“Eye Spy!” 79 

When Mary’s Lips Stayed 

Shut — Tight 83 

This Is the End 87 


(The index in the back of this little volume may be 
found helpful in the finding of stories and the application 
of truths to the everyday problems of the home.) 



















k 


f 

\ 



i 

) 

I 

I 





COME TO ME, O YE CHILDREN! 

FOR I HEAR YOU AT YOUR PLAY, 

AND THE QUESTIONS THAT PERPLEXED ME 
HAVE VANISHED QUITE AWAY. 

YE ARE BETTER THAN ALL THE BALLADS 
THAT EVER WERE SUNG OR SAID; 

FOR YE ARE LIVING POEMS, 

AND ALL THE REST ARE DEAD. 

AH, WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE TO US, 

IF THE CHILDREN WERE NO MORE? 

WE SHOULD DREAD THE DESERT BEHIND US 
WORSE THAN THE DARK BEFORE. 

— HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. 


( 7 ) 




( 8 ) 






I 


Fred and Allan Didn't Like 
to Play with Her 


The new little girl that lives next door 
wanted to play croquet with Fred and 
Allan; but the boys didn’t want to play 
the new game that their father had 
brought home — at least they didn’t want 
to play with the new little girl. 

Mother heard them talking it over. 

“We don’t want to play with her,” 
said Fred. 

“I should say we don’t!” answered 
Allan. 

“Why, she says herself that she doesn’t 
know how to play, and that means that 
we will beat her, and then she’ll cry.” 

“She’s a cry-baby!” added his brother. 

But mother wasn’t the only one who 
overheard them talking about this new 
little girl. You see, the new little girl 
was just over the hedge on the other side, 
lying on the grass, and she heard Fred 



( 9 ) 


10 


On Our Block 



and Allan. Being on the other side of 
the hedge, she sat up straight, and then 
jumped up and looked right over (for the 
hedge wasn’t very high), and she spoke 
quickly : 

“I’m not a cry-baby ! I don’t cry when 
I get beaten in a game ; I laugh, and say, 
‘Let’s play again !’ ” 

When Fred and Allan heard this, they 
couldn’t say anything, for she was a new 
little girl on their block. So they agreed 
to play one game of croquet. But all the 
time that they were playing, they were 
thinking away down in their hearts : 
“Now when we beat her, she’ll probably 
cry and feel bad. We are going to find 
out, anyway. But maybe she isn’t a cry- 
baby after all.” 

And do you know, they found that the 
new little girl on their block wasn’t a cry- 
baby at all, and now they are glad to play 
many games with her! Sometimes she 
wins a game; and when she does, they 


On Our Block 


11 


are all happy. But if she had pouted or 
cried after that first game, Allan and 
Fred would never have wanted to play 
with her again. 

The real fun of playing a game is the 
game itself. It does not matter so much 
who wins ; and everyone cannot win 
every time, for it wouldn’t be a real game 
then. Then, maybe Fred and Allan are 
right; for it is only babies that cry and 
fuss when they are not the ones to win. 

Boys and girls that laugh and smile, as 
did the new little girl, are always wanted 
for playmates; and often they learn to 
play so well that they win many times 
themselves. 




( 12 ) 





II 


I 


Simple Simon 


Robert, who lives in the big house on 
the corner, called as loudly as he could, 
“Simple Simon! Simple Simon!” as he 
caught sight of a bit of red sweater just 
turning the corner ahead. Robert was 
on his way to school. 

He thought that the red sweater be- 
longed to the boy across the street whose 
name was Simon, who had tried to get 
through the third grade at school for 
two years now, but somehow just could 
not seem to learn his lessons. 

Simon looked different from the rest 
of the boys on the block, and he generally 
wore a red sweater. 

But the person who had turned the cor- 
ner and who wore the red, stopped and 
turned back. Robert looked scared, and 
stopped still! For would you believe it, 
it was Miss Molly, his teacher! She had 
on a new red sweater that day, and it 



( 13 ) 


14 


On Our Block 



was blowing about a little, somewhat as 
Simon’s did when he failed to button it up. 

‘‘Good morning, Bobby Shafto!” Miss 
Molly called back to him when she had 
seen who it was that was calling so 
loudly. Then she waited for Robert to 
catch up with her, although Robert 
wished that she would go on, or that he 
could think of some good reason to go 
home and stay that day. 

When Robert had at last reached the 
teacher, she said, “Mother Goose knew 
ever so many nice names to call boys and 
girls besides ‘Simple Simon.’ ” And that 
was all that Robert could remember that 
she said as she walked to the schoolhouse 
with him, although, of course, she must 
have talked about many nice things — 
the weather, the birds, the flowers, 
games, and other things. 

But anyway, that was all that Miss 
Molly said about the name he had called 
her. 


On Our Block 


15 


Robert knew that it was better to call 
a boy “Bobby Shafto,” the one who wore 
silver buckles and went to sea, than to 
call him “Simple Simon.” 

That day in school, Miss Molly played 
a new game. She gave the boys and girls 
that did best with their work, play names. 
Frances, who always liked to pick up 
things and keep the room neat, was 
“Snow White”; and Thomas, whom the 


boys called Shorty, she named Cedric, be- 
cause he helped them all, even to bringing 
the children drinks, and taking care of the 
janitor’s puppy during recess time. It 
was a very jolly play, and one that all 
the boys and girls decided to keep up 
after school. 

It made Robert think, though. He 
thought that it was ever so much nicer 
and more fun to call people happy names, 
than to call them mean names that made 
them feel unhappy. 

And Robert started a new style on his 
block — all by himself. He surprised 



16 


On Our Block 



several of his friends and even his chum 
by calling them Partner or Scout, instead 
of Fatty or Skinny or even Simple. 

And Robert discovered something 
when he did this. He discovered that 
his friends liked him better and would do 
more for him than when he called them 
unhappy names. His mother told him of 
how Jesus called the men that He was 
with, “friends.” He didn’t call them 
ugly and disagreeable names. 

Even the boy that was called Simple 
Simon began to feel better when Robert 
stopped calling him that. One time, he 
called over the fence to Robert, and said 
that he would be glad to help him, if Rob- 
ert wanted him to. And just then Robert 
needed some one to hold a piece of wood 
while he nailed it, and he was very thank- 
ful to have even this boy’s help. And 
Robert knew that this boy would never 
have offered to help him if he had con- 
tinued to call him such a disagreeable 
name as “Simple Simon.” 


in 


Herbert's Mouth and Soapsuds 

Carl had just come home from visiting 
his little chum who lived across the 
street. His mother was sitting out on 
the cool veranda. Carl ran up to her. 

“Mother, Herbert said a bad word 
to-day, and his mother washed out his 
mouth with soapsuds. She said she was 
washing the bad out. Does that mean 
that Herbert can’t say naughty words 
again?’’ 

“No, dear,’’ replied mother. “He is 
likely to say a wrong word again at any 
time that he lets bad thoughts come into 
his mind. But the soapsuds may help 
him to remember and push the bad word 
away the second it comes wanting to be 
said.” 

Carl thought about this for a minute. 
“I never want my mouth washed with 
soapsuds. I don’t think I need that to 
help me to remember to push the bad 
words away.” 


( 17 ) 


18 


On Our Block 


Mother said, “That means that my 
small man, Carl, will always have a clean 
mouth.” 

Then for a moment mother didn’t say 
anything, and Carl thought that mother 
was thinking about the sewing that she 
had in her lap. 

“You remember,” mother began sud- 
denly, “that we met Genie on the street 
the other day, with her lips all smeared 
with chocolate candy; and then yester- 
day Albert, who lives on the street back 
of us, came running in with his mouth 
all dirty from eating an egg for his 
breakfast.” 

“Yes, I remember,” said Carl, all the 
time wondering just what mother was 
“getting at.” 

“Well, it is much, much worse for a boy 
to stain his lips and mouth with ugly, 
wicked words than to have food on his 
face — oh, much worse, indeed ! Jesus 
said that such things show the mind is 
full of dirty thoughts. That is very 


On Our Block 


19 


much worse than having dirty hands and 
face; for the outside dirt can be washed 
off easily, but it is hard to make a foul 
mouth sweet and clean again.” 

Carl didn’t say much, for he was think- 
ing hard. He was wondering if mother 
had heard him the other day when he 
said a bad word. 

“Mother wants to have her boy act as 
a true little Christian soldier. Here 
is a prayer that will help you. Suppose 
you say it over after me, for I am sure 
that it will help you some day ; and if you 
pray it, really meaning it, it will be better 



than all the soapsuds in the house. 

“‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my 
mouth; keep the door of my lips.’ 

“That was a prayer King David prayed 
long, long ago,” mother said. “It is a 
true soldier prayer. To ‘set a watch’ 
means to keep a soldier there who will 
not let an enemy get through. So you 
put Jesus there, and He will keep out the 
enemy bad words.” 



( 20 ) 











IV 


1 


What Mary Lea Did When 
Mother Had Visitors 

Everybody in our block likes Mary 
Lea. She lives in the brick house next 
to the corner. And even if the old house 
does look kind o’ gloomy, she makes it 
all sunshine. 

But Mary Lea made the mistake one 
time of trying to do ^ the talking when 
mother had company. Of course, Mary 
Lea isn’t so very old, and maybe she 
didn’t know any better — then maybe she 
did, but just forgot ! 

Anyway, her big sister Helen — at 
least, she seemed big to Mary Lea, al- 
though she was not more than ten years 
old — saw how Mary Lea was bother- 
ing mother, and she said to herself : 
*‘I’m older, and I know better than Mary. 
I mustn’t let her bother mother as she 
does.” 


( 21 ) 


22 


On Our Block 



So Helen slipped quietly into the room 
and whispered to Mary Lea. At first, 
Mary Lea didn’t want to listen. She was 
having a good time just then showing her 
dolls to mother’s caller. It was mother 
and the visitor who were not having a 
good time. But Helen remembered what 
Mary Lea liked to do — use her water 
colors. So when there was a chance, 
Helen asked: “May we play with the 
water colors out in the grape arbor? And 
may we have some pictures from the pat- 
tern book to color?” 

“Yes, indeed,” answered mother. “If 
Mrs. Walters will excuse me for a mo- 
ment, I’ll get them down for you.” 

Mother went to the cupboard where 
such things were kept, and gave Helen 
the colors and the brushes, while Mary 
Lea carried four big pages from the pat- 
tern book. Before she went back to her 
visitor, mother said to Helen, with such 
a loving look: “You are mother’s helpful. 


\ 




On Our Block 


23 


thoughtful little daughter! You have 
helped me very much, and you are also 
helping to teach Mary Lea the right way 
to act.” 

You see, Helen had heard her mother 
and other mothers talking together one 
time. She couldn’t remember all that 
they said, but the part that she did re- 
member was something like this: 

‘‘Dear me ! I wish I could get little 
girls to remember that they ‘should be 
seen and not heard’ when we have com- 
pany!” 

And another mother spoke up: “Isn’t 
it annoying to have to tell your children, 
right before your visitors, not to talk so 
much! And to have to tell them, again 
and again, to be quiet!” 

“Yes,” said still another mother who 
was there, and who rocked very fast and 
nervously while she talked, “it’s almost 



24 


On Our Block 


as bad as to have your children refuse to 
come in and meet your visitors when you 
want them to.” 

That was about all Helen remembered ; 
but she did not forget that much when, a 
little later that same day, mother called 
her in to meet Mrs. Davis, who was one 
of the mothers whom she had heard talk- 
ing while she was under the window. 
She came in pleasantly and answered the 
questions that were asked of her, speak- 
ing quietly, and keeping close to her 
mother, so that when they began to talk 
about something else,* she might know 
that it was time for her to go back and 
play. 

Ever since then, Helen has remem- 
bered how her mother’s eyes shone and 
sparkled after her visitor had gone. And 
although she couldn’t understand all 
about it, she believed that she understood 
much, and she wanted her sister Mary 
Lea to learn too. 


V 


He Forgot to Take It Home 

Verne is a splendid little chap that 
always smiles when he meets you as you 
go along his block. Verne goes to Sab- 
bath school, but he forgets almost every 
Sabbath to take something home with 
him. 

He forgets to take his Sabbath school 
lesson home. No, not his Sabbath school 
paper, for he always carries that in his 
pocket. And he generally knows his 
memory verse — but he does not take it 
home. 

There’s something strange about 
Verne. When the superintendent asks 
for those who can say their memory 
verse, he always raises his hand, and he 
can say last Sabbath’s and the Sabbath’s 
before that, and even the one before that. 
He has a good memory, too. Still he for- 
gets to take these same memory verses 
home. 


( 25 ) 



( 26 ) 









On Our Block 


27 


Strange, isn’t it? 

But the trouble is that Verne learns his 
memory verse just with his head, not 
with his heart. And the heart is the only 
place where the lessons will do any good. 
The only way that Verne can take them 
home with him, is by carrying them in 
his heart. 

Two weeks ago, Verne’s verse that he 
said for the superintendent was, “Be ye 
kind one to another.” 

Verne knew that verse perfectly, for he 
had said it over and over. 

The next day, Verne’s father sent him 
to borrow a tool from a friend that lived 
several blocks up the street. On the way, 
Verne passed the house where the Brooks 
family lived. Ragged, dirty-faced little 
Jennie was playing on the sidewalk, with 
a doll that was as ragged and dirty as she 
was. Verne snatched the doll from her 
hands, and put it up in the crotch of a 



28 


On Our Block 



tree, just out of the little girl’s reach. 
Then he laughed loudly and went on. 

He soon came to a dog barking at the 
foot of a tree. Looking up in the tree, he 
saw a little kitten, afraid of the dog, and 
almost as much afraid of falling from the 
high perch. Verne hunted about until he 
found a long stick, then he pushed the 
kitten from the branch, and cried, “Sick 
’em!” to the dog, clapping his hands and 
laughing loudly as the dog chased the 
kitten to another tree. Then he went on 
his errand. 

“Be ye kind one to another” was not in 
Verne’s heart, you see. He was not tak- 
ing his Sabbath school lesson with him, 
although he. had carried his Sabbath 
school paper home, and even then had it 
in his inside pocket, and though he had 
the colored memory verse card that his 
teacher had given him, and could have 
stood on his head and repeated the verse 
without making a mistake. 


On Our Block 


29 


Phil, Verne’s next-door neighbor, com- 
ing along after him, got Jennie’s doll 
from the tree and handed it to her. And 
because Jennie was poor, and her father 
was sick and couldn’t work much, he took 
out a nice juicy red apple that he had in 
his pocket, and gave it to her, to help her 
stop crying quickly, and to make her 
happy. 

Then he saw the dog under the tree, 
barking at the kitten. He coaxed the dog 
away from the tree by getting it to follow 
him up the street; for he knew that with 
the dog gone, the kitten would find the 
way down and back home, where it would 
be safe. 

You see, Phil was taking his Sabbath 
school lesson home with him. He may 
not have been able to say the verse per- 
fectly in school, but he had it perfectly 
in his heart, which is the place where he 
could make the right use of it. 



3 


\ 


♦ 

\ 



This 


little 


Red 


Cross nurse has 


dolly 


well 


bandaged. 










( 30 ) 



VI 


How Much Did Elsa Love Her 
Mother? 

What interesting things you learn 
'When you go visiting! 

I went visiting to-day. I just had to 
stop at the house in the middle of the 
block. While I was waiting for a few 
minutes, Elsa, who is a golden-haired 
little girl with dark brown eyes, came in 
and whispered to her father (who was 
talking to me), and asked him what big 
thing she could do to show her mother 
how much she loved her. 

And her father whispered back in her 
ear : “Run and give her a hug and a kiss, 
and then pick up all these scattered pa- 
pers and playthings. That will please 
her, I know.” 

Elsa must have forgotten about visi- 
tors, or maybe I didn’t count; for she 
said : “Oh, that ! That isn’t anything. I 


( 31 ) 


32 


On Our Block 


love her a lot more than that. I want to 
do something as big as I love her!” 

So Elsa’s father looked over at me, as 
much as to say, “I’ll have to tell my little 
daughter something that will help her to 
understand; and if you will pardon me. 
I’ll tell her now.” 

And I looked back, saying with my 
eyes as much as I could, “That’s good; 
tell her that she ought to remember the 
littles when she wants to do big things.” 

Elsa’s father took her on his knee and 
said something like this: 

“My old grandmother used to tell me 
of a Scotch saying, ‘Mony a mickle makes 
a muckle,’ which means that many littles 
put together make a great deal. 

“We know that ten cents make a dime, 
and ten dimes make a dollar. That is 
littles making something big ; and just as 
truly, many little deeds of kindness put 
together will make a whole lifetime 
happy. 


On Our Block 


33 


“My little girl does not feel satisfied 
to do little-girl work; she wants to do 
grown-up work. But just think, Elsa, of 
all the work that would be done in the 
world this morning to make so many 
mothers happy, if every little boy and girl 
did just one thing to help. With so many 
children in so many homes, all the soiled 
dishes that must be cleared, rooms made 
tidy, errands run for mother, baby 
brothers and sisters tended! It is fine 
to think of, isn’t it, Elsa?” 

And then I couldn’t keep still a bit 
longer, for I liked little golden-haired, 
dark-eyed Elsa very much; so I said: 

“Just suppose a tiny feather on the 
breast of your canary that hangs over 
there by the window should say, ‘Oh, I’m 
too little to amount to anything ! I want 
to give the bird a whole dress, a nice, 
warm one. One little feather! I might 
as well quit!’ But, you see, one little 
feather is really worth a good deal, for 



34 


On Our Block 


many of them together clothe the bird 
beautifully. 

“And to get thousands and thousands 
of mothers helped, each boy and girl must 
lend a helping band with the errands and 
the picking up of toys and the tending of 
baby. Many little helpers can give much 
help, a very great deal, indeed. It just 
needs each one doing a little bit.” 

Elsa hardly knew what to say, for fa- 
ther began to hum the words of an old 
hymn : 

“I LOVE THEE, I LOVE THEE, 

AND THAT THOU DOST KNOW; 

BUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THEE 
MY ACTIONS WILL SHOW.” 

Elsa jumped down and went into the 
other room. Her father and I looked at 
each other, and our eyes said many 
things. Then we talked about something 
else; but before I went home, I noticed 
that Elsa was picking up the papers, thus 
showing her deep love. 



VII 


Bruce Had a Strange, Strange 
Dream 

Bruce, you know, lives downstairs in 
that big brick house in the middle of 
the block. He is a good little chap, very 
polite in most things. That is, he takes 
off his hat when he meets his teacher, 
and is kind to his little sister. But the 
boys and the girls used not to like him 
very well. 

You see, he was afraid to share his 
good times and happiness with anyofte 
else. He was afraid because he thought 
that if something good came to him and 
he told some of the other fellows about 
it, they would have some of ^ happiness 
and he would not have so much left for 
himself. 


Whenever Bruce had anything nice, he 








Dinner Time ! 


( 36 ) 




On Our Block 


37 


around, I shall have to divide, and that 
will be just so much less for me.” 

Then Bruce would take all his treats 
behind the shed to eat. Sometimes, when 
he had too many sweet things, as at 
Christmas or birthdays, he made him- 
self sick. 

For a long, long time, Bruce had been 
wanting a wagon. He told some of the 
boys that he wanted a wagon. Well, one 
day, his father brought home the wagon 
that Bruce wanted, the very one. How 
happy Bruce was! But then he didn’t 
want to see the boys that he had told 
about the wagon. No, he didn’t. 

And he pulled that wagon around all 
by himself. He loaded it alone and 
played with it alone. When anyone came 
into the yard — any of the boys — he hid 
the wagon under the porch for fear that 
they would want to play with it. That 
was just the way Bruce was about all his 
things. 



38 


On Our Block 


But every time that he said to himself, 
“I won’t divide, or share this with any- 
body,” the pleasure seemed to dwindle 
and grow smaller, until there was not 
half as much as he had thought there was 
g.oing to be. Anyway, it seemed that way 
to him. 

Then Bruce had that strange, strange 
dream. 

He thought that Clyde (that’s the boy 
who lives upstairs in the same big red 
house) came in the yard and found the 
little red wagon, and that they played 
with the wagon together. Yes, they 
really did! 

Then suddenly the little wagon became 
two, one to draw and one to ride in! 
Then in his dream he shared his apple 
that his mother had given him, with 
Clyde. And instead of one apple, there 
were two, and the juiciest and best that 
he had ever tasted. Why, he never knew 
before that those apples were so good! 


On Our Block 


39 


Then Bruce woke up. But he thought 
about that dream for a long time, for a 
small boy. He kept saying to himself, 
“I wonder! I wonder!” 

Then the next morning, when he and 
Clyde were on their way to school, he 
found some nuts in his pocket, and of- 
fered Clyde some. Of course, Clyde was 
surprised. And so was Bruce. And he 
found that his dream came true. When 
he shared his pleasures with his play- 
mates, he doubled them. He had two 
good times, where otherwise he would 
only have had one. When he gave away 
some of his pleasures, they suddenly 
doubled, and the ones left him seemed 
better than ever. 

That’s one of the queer things the boys 
on our block have discovered — for Bruce 
wasn’t the only one. Some of the others 
had different ways of being selfish. And 
some of the girls, too, had little ways of 
trying to keep all the good times to them- 


40 


On Our Block 


selves. But when they saw Bruce shar- 
ing his fun, they tried it, and — presto ! — 
everyone was happy. 

Now Bruce says, when he gets a new 
book, or new toys, or pictures, or things 
like that: “Who is going to enjoy this 
with me? I know; I’ll share it with Ned, 
or Clyde, or Elsa. What a good time 
we’ll all have together!’’ 

And what a good time they ^ have 
together, too! 



4 


VIII 


The Lists That Clara and 
Gladys Made Out 

Everybody on our block likes Clara 
and Gladys. They just can’t help it, you 
see. These two girls are so considerate 
and so kind and helpful that every single 
person, from the school-teacher to the 
generally gruff old milkman, likes to 
speak to and say a good word for these 
happy little girls whose back yards come 
together. 

One day, Clara and Gladys were writ- 
ing out a list of the names of those they 
loved best of all. And in both lists, along 
with father and mother and brothers and 
sisters and friends, was the name of Je- 
sus ; for Clara and Gladys both loved Him 
very, very much. 

“Now let’s write down something we 
can do for each one,” suggested Clara, 
after they had read the names over to 
each other. So they did that. For 



( 41 ) 



The world is so full 
of a number of things, 
I’m sure we should all 
be as happy as kings. 

— Stevenson. 


( 42 ) 


On Our Block 


43 


mother and father, for friends and mem- 
bers of the family, they wrote down 
things they knew would give pleasure or 
be of help. 

Only after the name of Jesus was there 
a blank space. It wasn’t because they 
loved Jesus less, or were less anxious to 
do something for Him. It was because 
it seemed easier to think of giving apples, 
or lending picture books, and running er- 
rands; but things like that would hardly 
do for Jesus. They wanted something 
special for Him, something that was a 
little better than for anyone else; and 
they could not think of it, try as hard as 
they could. 

“Let’s ask mother,” said Clara. “She 
will know.” 

“Let’s!” answered Gladys. 

So they showed their lists to mother. 
And mother looked very happy when she 
read them. 



44 


On Our Block 



“We can’t think of anything good 
enough to do for Jesus,” explained Clara. 
“What do you think we ought to do?” 

“Why, girlies, you have written down 
ever so many things to do for Jesus,” 
replied mother. “Don’t you know that 
every single loving deed for others is a 
deed that you have done for Him? That 
is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘Inas- 
much as ye have done it unto one of the 
least of these My brethren, ye have done 
it unto Me.’ Loving, helpful deeds for 
anyone, give Jesus joy and make Him 
happy. Still, there is a way that you can 
do something more particularly for Him 
alone. Think of some one who needs 
help, perhaps some one who is not lov- 
able, or who does not even seem very 
nice, and try to help that one in some 
way, and do it for Jesus’ sake.” 

Gladys and Clara thought a long time 
before they said anything. 

“Like the people that the missionaries 
are helping?” asked Gladys. 


V 


On Our Block 


45 


‘‘Like the poor people who live on the 
other side of town?’’ asked Clara. 

“Yes,” answered mother; “some one 
that you can help in some way, and who 
will never have a chance to pay you back 
with a kind deed, or who may never 
know that you did anything for him.” 

So Clara and Gladys wrote on their 
lists after Jesus’ name: 

“Memory verse card books to the mis- 
sionaries in China; flowers to the hospi- 
tal; one of my dolls to the little colored 
girl that lives across the track.” But 
they were happy to know that all they 
did for father and mother and other dear 
friends, was done for Jesus too. 



4 



( 46 ) 







r 

4 




IX 




Just Suppose 


“I was kept in to-day, but I don’t care 
much!” said Norry, dropping down in 
front of the cheery fire that Uncle Casper 
always keeps going, in cool weather, in 
his study in the old stone house. 

“Hmmm, that’s strange! Sounds kind 
o’ funny to hear you say that you don’t 
care,” said his uncle, as he laid down his 
paper and looked at his nephew. 

“Oh, yes, I care ; but I mean I’d rather 
be kept in than tell a story, as Woody 
Gales and Tom Dillon did,” explained 
Norry. 

“Why, that sounds interesting. Tell 
me all about it.” 

“To-day, Arthur and Woody and Tom 
and I were all whispering, and Arthur 
laughed out loud about something that 
Tom said ; so the teacher came down 
where we were, and asked each of us if 
we were whispering. Arthur and I said 



( 47 ) 


48 


On Our Block 



Yes, so she told us to stay in at recess; 
but Tom and Woody said No, so she let 
them go out.” 

“You were perfectly right, Norry,” re- 
plied Uncle Casper. “While you should 
not whisper in school, yet, if you do, then 
you ought to take your punishment like 
a man, instead of trying to get out of it 
by telling something that isn’t true. 

“Tom and Woody make me think of a 
boy named Joe, who worked for father 
one summer, a long time ago, when I was 
a lad. We never knew when Joe was tell- 
ing the truth and when he was not. If 
he said he had fed the chickens, we knew 
no more than we did before. If he said 
that he was sick and unable to do his 
chores, we did not know but he was just 
pretending. 

“Suppose everybody was like that! 
What a world we would be living in! 
Suppose that I told you I would take you 
for a ride in the car to-morrow, but when 


On Our Block 


49 


to-morrow came, I had no notion of keep- 
ing my promise, and even said I didn’t 
make any ! Or suppose your mother 
would tell you that she had put some nice 
sandwiches in your lunch, and when you 
opened the box, you should find it empty ! 

“And suppose the laws that govern this 
old world and the sun, moon, and stars, 
were no more trustworthy than people 
like that! Why, if you jumped off the 
fence, you would not know whether you 
would go floating off into space, or land 
on the ground! Or you might throw a 
piece of wood into the water, and perhaps 
it would sink and perhaps it would float ! 
And suppose you weren’t sure whether 
your apple tree would bear apples or 
pears or plums, or even nuts or pump- 
kins ! Things would be rather mixed up, 
wouldn’t they, Norry?” 

“I should say so!” exclaimed Norry. 
“Wouldn’t it be awful!” 



50 


On Our Block 


“It certainly would. Such a world 
would hardly be worth living in; and 
such people, or even boys and girls if 
they don’t learn better soon, are hardly 
worth while as friends. By and by no 
one can depend upon them ; and then they 
become unhappy themselves, because no 
one trusts them, and even when they tell 
the truth, no one believes them. I’m glad 
you were kept in, Norry! But next time 
that the teacher asks you if you were 
whispering, answer No, and be sure that 
it is true. I know you will.’’ 

“I should say I would ! I never 
dreamed that it would be as bad as that 
if even nature and God did not tell the 
truth and could not be depended upon.’’ 



7 


X 


When the Songs Made It Easy 

Johnny and Esther lived in the new 
bungalow that had just been built on the 
lot next to the corner. They hated to do 
the dishes. But their mother didn’t have 
any servants, and she believed that it was 
best for her children to learn to do things. 
*‘Even boys should know how to wash 
and wipe dishes well,” she used to say. 
And Esther and Johnny took turns with 
the work. First one would wash, and the 
other dry them; then they would change 
around. 

But somehow they hated their jobs. 
And in spite of all that mother could say, 
they hated to see those dishes. Why, 
they began wishing that breakfast, din- 
ner, and supper could be eaten without 
dishes. They began to think about those 
dishes even before the meals were ready, 
and that almost spoiled what they ate. 



( 51 ) 




I 


0 



( 52 ) 


* 


<■ 

\ 


f 


f 


* 


/ 


f 


\ 

A 


f ,» 


t 



On Our Block 


53 


But it didn’t do any good to hate to 
do the work; for that was a part of their 
daily duties, and they had to do them. 
Mother said she couldn’t get along 
without the help of her two children. 
And the children really wanted to help, 
but they wanted to help in some other 
way than just dish-washing — ‘‘the hate- 
ful job!” 

Then their Uncle Sherwin came to see 
them. Uncle Sherwin had sharp eyes 
that saw many things. He even saw 
some things that he wasn’t supposed to 
see. Among other things, he noticed that 
Johnny and Esther needed some help 
about the dishes. 

“Here, give me the towel,” he said one 
day to Johnny, who was drying the din- 
ner dishes; “I am a great dish-wiper.” 

“Why, Uncle Sherwin, company isn’t 
supposed to do work like that,” protested 
Johnny. 



54 


On Our Block 



‘‘Johnny, you mustn’t let uncle wipe 
those dishes !” said Esther in a most hor- 
rified tone. 

“ ’Course, you mustn’t dry them,” said 
Johnny. “I wish I were company; you 
wouldn’t catch me doing any work, like 
washing dishes anyway.” 

“I’ll own up that there are some things 
I’d like better,” answered Uncle Sherwin, 
as he took the towel and shook it out. 
“But you know you can have a good time 
doing almost anything if you go at it 
whistling and with a song.” 


“I don’t think anyone would whistle 
washing dishes, not if he hated it as I do ; 
and they have to be done three times a 
day, too,” said Johnny, in his most ag- 
grieved tone. 

“Yes,” said Uncle Sherwin; “a fine 
chance to limber up your voice and tune 
box, three times a day, too. What shall 
it be? Something lively, because we 


On Our Block 


55 


don't want to be forever doing this little 
mess of dishes.” 

First they sang, all three of them; and 
then they whistled, all three of them, be- 
cause Esther was quite as good at whis- 
tling as any of the boys on our block. 

‘‘It didn’t take so long, did it?” said 
Johnny and Esther when the towels were 
hung up and the floor was swept, and 
they had gone outdoors. “Was it the 
singing and the whistling that helped?” 

“It is this way,” Uncle Sherwin began: 
“You two have been hating your work, 
and making yourselves hate it, every time 
you have it to do. Dish-washing isn’t 
really so bad, after all. It is nice work, 
and makes things clean. You have hot 
suds, clean towels, and then shiny dishes 
to be put away for the next meal. If you 
think that you like it, it won’t seem 
nearly so bad. But if you think that you 
don’t like it, you only make it worse by 
telling yourselves how horrid it is. Just 



56 


On Our Block 


start a lively tune, and start doing your 
work with vim. You will work faster, 
and you won’t think so much about how 
horrid the work is. 

“ ‘Work with a song.’ That’s an old 
Sabbath school hymn. Practice it, and 
you will find that both whistling and 
singing will make things easier.” 



XI 


The Disease That Was 
‘‘Catching" and Dangerous 

Miss Allen, you know, teaches drawing 
in the little schoolhouse down at the end 
of the street. 

Well, one time, she held up a queer- 
shaped gourd before all the pupils in the 
third grade. After she had held it there 
for a few minutes, she said, “Now I want 
a few of you to come to the blackboard 
and draw a picture of this gourd.” 

Then she turned to Arnold, who sat on 
the front seat, and said, “Arnold, you 
may come first.” 

“Oh, I?” answered Arnold. “I can’t 



do it.” 

Miss Allen looked very much sur- 
prised. “Ruth Lee may come,” she said. 
Then — would you believe it? — Ruth 
Lee shook her curly head, and said, “I 
can’t. Miss Allen.” 


( 57 ) 






( 58 ) 







On Our Block 


59 


Then the teacher called on every pupil 
in that row, and each and every one an- 
swered, ‘T can’t.” 

Miss Allen didn’t say anything for a 
minute; then she asked, “How many of 
you ever had chickenpox?” 

About half the boys and girls raised 
their hands. 

“I think there is a more dangerous dis- 
ease in this room than chickenpox,” Miss 
Allen said very soberly. “It is a very 
catching disease, too. First Arnold had 
it, then right away everyone else in his 
row caught it. The name of this disease 
is, T can’t.’ 

“Now if Arnold had said, T’ll try,’ that 
would have been almost as catching, and 
not at all dangerous. Indeed, it would 
have been really helpful,” went on Miss 
Allen. 

Then Arnold stood up, and said, “I’ll 
try now, Miss Allen.” 




] 


60 


On Our Block 


“I’ll try, too,” said Ruth Lee. And al- 
most before you knew it, everyone in 
that row had said the same thing. 

Miss Allen gave them all a chance, too ; 
and better than that, she had something 
good to say about every drawing that was 
put on the board. 



XII 


Just for Fun 

A crowd of boys and girls had gathered 
out in front of Paul’s house, down near 
the corner. Uncle Burton could be seen 
standing in the middle of the crowd talk- 
ing. He was talking to Paul ; and he was 
talking very seriously, too. 

“What are you doing, Paul?” he asked. 
“Did you hit that toad? Really, did you 
do it! Why, that seems so cruel and so 
foolish for a boy that is in the third grade 
at school!” 

Paul stood there with his head hung. 
He hardly knew what to say, with his 
uncle, who was generally so jolly and 
good-natured, standing there talking to 
him so, and all the boys and girls stand- 
ing around listening. 

“Why, it was cruel, Paul; because the 
toad wasn’t doing any harm to anyone or 
to anything. And it was foolish, too ; be- 

( 61 ) 

5 



Vacation Time 




On Our Block 


63 


cause the toad really does a great deal of 
good in eating insects that destroy our 
crops. Tell me, why did you do it?” 

“Why, I don’t know. I — I — I just 
happened to see it hopping along, and — 
I — I — threw a rock and hit it — I — I 
guess,” stammered Paul. 

The small boys and girls who were 
standing around looked at Paul’s uncle to 
see what he would say next. They knew 
that he must be going to say something 
very important, because they all liked 
him, and they knew that he liked them. 
It was hard to tell how they knew that 
he liked children; but someway, all the 
boys, and the girls too, had found out that 
Uncle Burton liked them. 

“But, Uncle Burton, why was it so bad 
for me to kill the toad? I saw you kill a 
snake the other day. And Cousin Ben 
shot a hawk last week, and everyone 
praised him for it. But you scold me 



64 


On Our Block 



about the toad.” And Paul was almost 
crying, he was feeling so bad. 

Uncle Burton didn’t say anything for 
a few moments. Then he looked around 
at the boys and the girls, and noticed that 
they were all watching him; so he said, 
“Come on around to the back yard, under 
the old oak tree, and I’ll answer this 
question, because I think that you would 
all like to hear the answer.” Then he led 
the way around into the back yard. 

After all the children had found a place 
to sit down, and Uncle Burton had tipped 
over an old box for himself to sit on, be- 
cause he was so tall that it might have 
been hard for him to curl up his long legs 
enough to sit on the ground, then he said : 

“Now what you would all like to know 
is this,” and he looked very kindly at 
Paul, who was right in front of him: 
“Why is it right to kill some things, and 
not others?” 

Almost everyone nodded. 


On Our Block 


65 


‘‘There are three lawful and right rea- 
sons for killing things,” said Uncle Bur- 
ton, slowly. “These reasons are : for 
defense, for their skins and for food 
sometimes, and to save suffering. Do 
you know what defense means, Phil?” 
and he looked at Phil, who was leaning 
against the tree. 

Phil shook his head. 

“Well, suppose there were some wild 
animals in the woods over on the outside 
of town, and when we went through the 
woods sometimes, some of the animals 
would try to harm us. Suppose I had a 
gun or a club in my hands, and I should 
begin to fight them to keep them from 
hurting you and me. That would be de- 
fense. Do you all understand?” 

“It’s killing something to keep it from 
killing us, isn’t it?” asked Herbert, who 
was sitting beside Paul. 

“That’s it exactly!” agreed Uncle Bur- 
ton. “The snake that I killed the other 



66 


On Our Block 


day was a poisonous one ; and if I had not 
killed it, it might have bitten some one, 
and caused him to die. 

“And now we come to the second rea- 
son — killing for their skins and for food. 
All the animals whose skins or bodies 
really serve man are put in this class. 
But we should never kill birds, rabbits, 
squirrels, and such things, just for sport 
— just for fun. 

“The last reason that I gave for killing, 
was to save suffering. Sometimes an 
animal gets hurt so badly that we know 
it can never get well. In this case, if it 
is suffering very much, often the kindest 
thing we can do is to end its pain quickly. 

“Now, I want all you children to re- 
member this thing: No matter when we 
kill, or why, it should always be done in 
the kindest possible way — the way that 
will cause the least suffering. Even the 
animals that we kill for defense, do not 
harm us without good reasons. They are 


On Our Block 


67 


merely looking out for themselves, as we 
would for ourselves. Snakes and spiders 
bite, and insects sting, to protect them- 
selves. 

“Then, too, Jesus is looking after all 
His creatures. He says that He even 
notices when a sparrow falls to the 
ground. He is a God of love ; and as He 
has told us to be like Him, He wants us 
to love the simple creatures that He has 
put on this earth. Many of them, such 
as the toad, do a great amount of good. 
Have I answered your question, Paul?” 

“Yes, Uncle Burton; and I will never 
kill anything again just for fun,” an- 
swered Paul very soberly. And the 
others nodded their heads. 




X 


( 68 ) 



XIII 


‘‘E/' ‘‘G/' ‘T/’ Meaning 
Report Card Marks 



^Sii 


Every single boy and every single girl thi 

SCHOOL 

that goes to school and that lives on our 
block, likes to get good marks on his re- 
port cards. And that isn’t all; father and 
mother like to have these same boys and 
girls get good marks, and they like to 
sign up such a card and send it back to 
the teacher, feeling that their boys and 
girls are doing well at school. 

But did you ever know that there were 
other ways to get good marks — and bad 
ones too? 

Suppose father and mother kept a rec- 
ord of your doings at home outside of 
school, and gave you a report card at the 
end of every month or every six weeks. 

Do you think you would all have a good 
record? Would you be proud to take 
that “home report card” to school and 


( 69 ) 


70 


On Our Block 



show it to the teacher, so that she and 
the boys and girls in the room might see 
what your record had been? 

Would you boys have an “E” on 
“Weeding the Garden,” or “Carrying 
Water,” or “Piling Wood,” or “Getting 
in the Coal and the Kindling”? 

Would you girls have “E” on “Helping 
Mother,” “Minding Baby,” or “Dusting,” 
or “Doing the Dishes”? 

Would all of you, both boys and girls, 
get a “Good” mark on table manners and 
politeness? Or would it be a “P,” or “F” 
for “Failure”? 

Could you earn a “G” by being willing 
to run errands? How about “Kindness” 
and “Cheerfulness” and “Thoughtful- 
ness”? 

And these things are just as important 
and necessary as learning to read and 
write and add numbers and subtract and 
divide numbers. 


On Our Block 


71 


But mothers are very busy people, and 
probably your mother would not have 
time to mark you on these “Home 
Studies/’ So here is a good plan: It 
would be well for each of you to take 
a little notebook and keep a report of 
these things yourself. Just have a little 
secret record that no one else sees but 
yourself. When you have been very, 
very kind to baby brother, or to sister, or 
very, very helpful to mother or daddy, be 
sure to mark a big “E” right after “Kind- 
ness” or “Helpfulness” in your notebook. 
And if you do forget and make a mistake 
(we all do, big folks as well as little 
ones), just mark your record “P” for 
“Poor.” Then this mark that isn’t so 
good will help you to remember and do 
your best next time. 

Then, if you are trying your best, don’t 
forget to ask Jesus each morning, as soon 
as you get out of bed, to help you. And 
at night, be just as sure to ask Him to 



72 


On Our Block 


forgive the mistakes you have made dur- 
ing the day. 

Really, you don’t know what fun it’ll 
be to keep a report card and mark it 
yourself. You see, you’ll be a teacher to 
yourself. And if, by trying hard, and 
with the great help of Jesus, your report 
is “Excellent,” you can show it to daddy 
or mother, just the same as you do your 
school report card. 



XIV 


And the Ball Sailed Right 
Through the Window 

They were all out playing on the vacant 
lot down near the schoolhouse. You 
know where it is. And how they did 
play that ball game! They were having 
the very best kind of time, when Robert, 
who had just come ‘‘to bat,” knocked the 
ball on a long drive right through the 
basement window of the schoolhouse. 
No one saw it happen except the boys 
that were playing. But they all stopped 
playing, and ran home as fast as they 
could. 

And they didn’t tell anyone what they 
had done, either, or what had happened. 

The next morning at school, the teach- 
ers in all the rooms asked if anyone knew 
how the window got broken. In Robert’s 
room were all the boys that had been 
playing ball, but not one of them said a 

( 73 ) 




% 



( 74 ) 






i 


\ 






il 


On Our Block 


75 


single word. They looked at each other 
and at Robert, kind of sideways, but they 
didn’t *‘peach.” 

About a week afterwards, there was a 
new window in the place of the broken 
one. The boys asked the janitor if he had 
found out who broke the glass. He told 
them that he didn’t know, but that he had 
bought a new pane of glass and put it in 
himself, because he didn’t want the 
teachers to think he was not doing his 
duty in watching the playgrounds, and 
because it made things cold with the 
glass out. 

This made Robert feel rather “funny.” 
And when Robert told the boys who had 
been playing ball that same day about it, 
and what the janitor said, they felt rather 
“funny” too. 

After they had thought about it, Jim 
said, “Well, we didn’t tell a lie.” 

“No; and we didn’t tell the truth, 
either,” spoke up Verne. 



76 


On Our Block 



“We kept still and acted an untruth,” 
decided Arthur. 

So those boys did the right thing as 
fast as they could. Each took some 
money from his bank, and they paid the 
janitor the price of the window. It was 
a just lesson, which they never forgot. 

Then there was Betty. She was play- 
ing one day around mother’s desk, and 
the first thing she knew, over went the 
ink bottle, and the nice paper and some 
books were all spattered up. 

Mother wasn’t in the room then; but 
she saw her desk a little later, and^she 
said at supper: “Some one had an acci- 
dent and spilled ink on my desk. I won- 
der who did it.” 

Betty looked down at her plate and 
didn’t say a single word. She was very 
busy just then mashing her potato, al- 
though it had been mashed before. 

You see, there was a secret in her 
heart, and no one else knew for sure who 


On Our Block 


77 


did upset the ink bottle, and Betty knew 
that no one else knew for sure. So she 
said nothing, and mother added, “Per- 
haps Tillie did it when she was dusting.” 

“Could it have been Fluff, Betty’s kit- 
ten?” asked daddy. 

But no one knew, and Betty didn’t say 
a word. She didn’t tell the truth, nor did 
she tell an untruth with her lips. But she 
acted something which wasn’t true, didn’t 
she? The worst part of acting an un- 
truth is that so often some one else gets 
the blame, because that secret in the 
heart is hidden away down so deep that 
it can’t be seen. And if it is kept there, 
it will begin to hurt after a while, because 
it is the wrong kind of secret. 

The safest way and the best way, and 
the way in which you will be sure to have 
the most fun and enjoyment, is to look 
and talk and act the truth about mistakes 
and accidents, as well as about other 
things. 



0 



( 78 ) 




1 



XV 


^^Eye Spy!^^ 


The minister that preaches in our 
church, talked on a strange text last Sab- 
bath. It was something like this : “Hav- 
ing eyes, they see not.” 

There are many people — and boys and 
girls, too — who have each two good eyes, 
but who are absolutely blind, sometimes. 
It must be that way, judging by the way 
they act. 

Harry and Mack got up from the table 
after breakfast the other morning, and 
started out through the kitchen toward 
the garage. Harry did not see anything 
along the way. But Mack saw all the 
soiled dishes that must be cleared away. 
He carried the empty dishes out 
kitchen sink for mother. Then he 


By and by Harry came in, and 
what Mack had done, he looked 


sight of the basin of scraps 
chickens, and he took that out. 



80 


On Our Block 



guilty. “I’d have done it myself,” he said, 
“but I didn’t see anything to do.” 

Later Mack and Harry were very 
busily coloring pictures in the living 
room. Grandma came into the room with 
her sewing. Now there was in that room 
a particular chair that grandma always 
sits in. Grandma says that that chair fits 
her best. 

Mack saw that this chair was not in its 
place, and that it was filled with paper. 
He jumped up quickly, took the papers 
out, and drew the chair up to the window 
where it belonged, then went back to his 
coloring. 

“Why didn’t you tell me, grandma? I 
could have done it just as well, only I 
didn’t see it,” Harry exclaimed. “I was 
so busy coloring!’’ 

It is very sad to be really blind; to be 
shut out from the sunshine and all the 
beautiful trees and grass and flowers. 
But it is almost as sad when a boy or a 


On Our Block 


81 




girl, with really good eyes is blind to 
all the chances to help. It is not that 
Harry does not want to help. He is gen- 
erally perfectly willing. But, you see, he 
has to be asked. Grandma has to say: 
“My hands are full, Harry. Will you 
open the door for me?” 

There is some blindness that can’t be 
cured. Some poor children must go 
sightless all their lives. But this blind- 
ness can be cured if only you give some 
thought to it. Eyes can be trained to see. 
Ask Jesus to help. Ask Him to open 
your blind eyes, as He did the eyes of 
many people in olden times. Stop sev- 
eral times a day and ask yourself, “What 
can I see to do that would help?” 

You can make a kind of game of it with 
yourself — a kind of “I spy,” only we’ll 
call it “eye spy !” You will find your eyes 
growing keener and quicker and even 
brighter, so that no chance to make 
others happy or to help will escape you. 



f 


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XVI 

When Mary's Lips Stayed 
Shut — Tight 

We all like Mary. Almost everyone 
on our street likes Mary — now. 

But a while back, many of the boys and 
girls didn’t like Mary — no, not a bit. 
They said that she was “mean” and said 
“mean things.” And they didn’t want to 
play with her, either. 

And Mary was sure that she spent one 
half of her time saying just what she felt 
like saying, and then spent the other half 
wishing she hadn’t, and making up her 
mind to say: “I’m so sorry! Won’t you 
forgive me?” 

And it wasn’t very pleasant, either. In 
the first place, there is no fun in being 
“mad” and saying mean things to people ; 
and it wasn’t pleasant to feel sorry after- 
wards. And Mary knew, too, that many 
of the playmates on our block didn’t like 



/ 


( 83 ) 


84 


On Our Block 


to play with her when she said these 
mean and ugly things. 

You see, Mary wasn’t a naughty girl 
at heart. She was just a little girl with 
a temper that she had not learned how 
to control. 

“If you would only control your 
temper,’’ her mother told her one day 
when she was having a very unhappy 
time, “then you wouldn’t have to be sorry 
like this, and feel so bad.’’ 

“I know it, mother, but it comes so 
quick; and when I feel that way, I just 
want to say mean things and hurt people 
and make them feel bad.’’ 

“Suppose, no matter how you feel next 
time, you wait until the temper passes. 
Even if you do feel like saying mean 
things, don’t do it. Just shut your lips 
tight, and wait. Don’t you think that you 
can do that just once?’’ 

Mary didn’t know. 



( 85 ) 


86 


On Our Block 



‘‘And there is a prayer in the Bible that 
says, ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my 
mouth; keep the door of my lips.’ Jesus 
will do this for all of us if we ask Him.” 

Mary remembered to ask Jesus to help 
her in guarding her lips and her temper. 
And she tried hard. Next time the 
tempter came boiling up, she remem- 
bered those words which King David 
said thousands of years ago, and she shut 
her lips up tight, and waited. It was 
pretty hard at first, and she felt all 
swelled up inside. But by praying to 
Jesus, “Set a guard over my lips right 
now, dear Jesus,” she managed to keep 
the ugly words penned in. 

It was good not to have to feel^sorry 
afterwards, and not to have to go to some 
one on our block and say, “I’m sorry that 
I said such mean things to you.” 

Mary learned that every time she shut 
her lips tight and refused to let the ugly 
words out, it was easier next time. Mary 


On Our Block 


87 


made up her mind not to say anything, 
no matter what happened, that would 
make anyone unhappy; and now every- 
one is happy and pleasant when with 
Mary. 


This Is the End 

Of this little book. But there are still 
others “on our block” that we haven’t 
talked about or visited with. And per- 
haps there are some that you know about 
on the block, and that you felt sure would 
be mentioned, but the reason why they 
are not is because we knew that you 
knew them well, and so you could help 
them to come, along with you and be the 
very best boys and girls on our block. 
And you will have the very best time that 
way, too. 




Index 

The following alphabetical index is arranged so as to 
bring to the front the lessons taught in story form in ^is 
little volume. The page numbers refer to the beginning 
of the chapters in which the thought mentioned in the 
index is emphasized. 

Acting a lie 73 

Acting the truth 73 

A funny world to live in 47 

Applying lessons 87 

Bad temper 83 

Bad words 17 

Being helpful when visitors come 21 

Being seen and not heard 21 

Blind people 79 

Breaking a window 73 

Calling names 13 

‘‘Catching” disease • 57 

Children meeting visitors 21 

“Company” working 51 

Controlling the temper 83 

Cruelty to animals 61 

“Cry-babies” 9 

Dangerous disease 57 

Dividing the apple ‘ 35 

Doing the little work 31 

Drawing on the board 57 

Forgetting to take the memory verse home ... 25 

Game of names 13 

Generous children 35 

Good playfellow 9 

Good time working 51 

Hating to do the dishes 51 

Hating your work 51 


( 88 ) 


Index 


89 


Having to stay after school 47 

Helping Jesus 41 

Helping to entertain younger brothers and 

sisters 21 

How much do you love your parents? 31 

I can’t 57 

If God and nature didn’t tell the truth 47 

“I love Thee, I love Thee” 31 

Jesus cares for all His creatures 61 

Jesus sees the sparrow’s fall 61 

Keeping a home record 69 

Keeping playthings to yourself 35 

Keeping your lips shut 83 

Killing destructive anirhals 61 

Killing in defense 61 

Killing just for fun 61 

Killing with the least amount of suffering .... 61 

Learning the memory verses 25 

Liking unselfish children 35 

Loving your father and mother 31 

Making out lists 41 

Memory verses in the heart 25 

Mind full of dirty thoughts 17 

“Mony a mickle makes a muckle” 31 

“My actions will show” 31 

Not dependable '. 47 

Not telling 73 

Observing children 79 

Owning up 73 

People with eyes who^can’t see 79 

People you love 41 

Playing ball 73 


90 


Index 


Playing ‘‘eye spy” 79 

Power of influence 57 

Putting playthings away 3i 

Quarreling 83 


Remembering the littles 31 

Report cards for home use 69 

Secret in the heart 71 

Selfishness in sharing 35 

Setting watch over lips and mouth I7> 83 

Sharing your toys 35 

Showing your deep love 31 

Singing when you work 51 

Songs made it easy 51 

Spilling the ink 71 

Staying after school 47 

Stoning a toad 61 

Strange dream 35 


Taking punishment like a man 47 

Teasing cats 25 

Teasing playmates ' 25 

Telling the truth 47 

Thoughtfulness 21,31,79 

Three reasons for killing 61 

Training your eyes i . 79 


Ways to help Jesus 41 

What the little feather might say to the bird . . 31 

Whispering in school 47 

Whistling when you work 51 

Willing to try 57 



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